Seminars & conferences

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Workshops and conferences

  • To honour the immense contribution Professor Michael Sherris has made to research, teaching and engagement, we cordially invite you to a celebration of his distinguished career and the significant impact of his work. Speakers at this event include Professor Frederik Anseel (Interim Dean at UNSW Business School), David Whittle (2024 Actuaries Institute President), Professor John Piggott (CEPAR Director), alongside colleagues, as well as former students and postdocs mentored by Professor Sherris.

    About Professor Sherris:

    Professor Michael Sherris is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Risk and Actuarial Studies and a Chief Investigator and Director of Industry Engagement ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR). He was Head of Actuarial Studies at UNSW until 2010, having been appointed to UNSW in 1998 to establish the Actuarial Studies program. Before joining UNSW, he was an Associate Professor in Actuarial Studies at Macquarie University. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia, the Institute of Actuaries (UK) and the Society of Actuaries (North America). Prior to becoming an academic, he worked in the banking and finance industry for several major banks and a life insurance company. He has been an active member of the Australian actuarial profession, having served on the Council of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia. Professor Sherris's contributions to actuarial education and research have been recognised with numerous awards and honours, including the 2007 Australian Actuary of the Year award in recognition of his contributions to actuarial research and education both within Australia and internationally.

    Event details 

    Date & Time:

    Friday 15 March 2024, 9.30am - 4.00pm, followed by canapes 4.00pm to 6.00pm

    Registration: Free https://forms.office.com/r/fU6G8SFi77

    Contact: Maree Withers – m.withers@unsw.edu.au

  • Australia is a world leader in policy design and practice around the accumulation of retirement savings but relatively little attention has been paid to the retirement phase.

    Under the recently introduced retirement income covenant, superannuation trustees have an obligation to implement a retirement income strategy to help members maximise retirement income, manage risks to the sustainability and stability of that income, and maintain flexible access to capital. However, progress has been slow.

    To contribute to the ongoing debate, UNSW’s Innovations in Risk, Insurance and Superannuation (IRIS) Knowledge HubBusiness Insights Institute and the Centre of Excellence in Population and Aging Research (CEPAR) hosted an event to discuss solutions and strategies to enhance policy design and practice in the retirement phase of superannuation.

    Our keynote Professor Olivia S. Mitchell (IFEBP Professor of Insurance/Risk Mgmt and Business Economics/Policy, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania) is one of the world’s foremost pension economists and presented on Understanding and Managing Longevity Risk in Retirement. This was followed by a panel discussion featuring thought leaders in superannuation who  considered How to Improve the Retirement Phase of Superannuation. Our panellists included Hazel Bateman (School of Risk & Actuarial Studies, UNSW Business School; IRIS Research Hub; CEPAR), David Bell (Executive Director, The Conexus Institute), David Knox (Senior Partner, Mercer) and Dani Murrie (Chief Marketing and Growth Officer, UniSuper). The program concluded with a Research Workshop featuring presentations by academics and representatives from the superannuation and financial services industry.

    Event details 

    Date & Time:

    11am-6pm (registration from 10.30am), Wednesday 20 March

    • Registration from 10.30am
    • Keynote by Professor Olivia Mitchell followed by Expert Panel Discussion: 11am-1pm
    • Lunch: 1-2pm
    • Research Workshop: 2pm-5pm
    • Networking Drinks: 5pm-6pm

    Location: Warrane Theatre, Museum of Sydney, Cnr Bridge St &, Phillip St, Sydney NSW 2000

  • 5-6 December 2023, UNSW Sydney/Australia
    7 December 2023, online session

    Register your interest here if you would like to attend the Colloquium and to receive updates.

    Co-hosted by CEPAR and the School of Risk & Actuarial Studies, UNSW Business School, the Colloquium is a unique annual event, bringing together academics (from economics, finance, actuarial studies and related disciplines), government and industry to discuss the latest research on pensions, superannuation and retirement.

    The Colloquium will be held in person at UNSW Sydney on 5-6 December*, and also host an online session on 7 December, sponsored by the International Pension Research Association (IPRA). 

    Please see Call for Papers. 

  • The “UNSW Workshop on Risk and Actuarial Frontier: Climate Risk and Insurance” will bring together UNSW experts and industry thought leaders to discuss the role of insurance and actuarial science in addressing climate risks. The workshop is hosted by the School of Risk and Actuarial Studies at UNSW, in collaboration with the UNSW Innovations in Risk, Insurance and Superannuation (IRIS) Knowledge Hub and the UNSW Institute for Climate Risk & Response. The workshop will address key issues such as climate risk projections, impact analysis, risk mitigation, insurance pricing, and insurance affordability.  The workshop will feature short industry and research presentations, discussions, and networking opportunities for the participants. Registration is free, but spaces are limited. We invite academics, research students and selected industry partners. Program available here: 2023 UNSW Climate Risk and Insurance_Workshop Program (2).pdf

  • AFRIC has been designed to be a premier non-profit making Actuarial Science academic conference that will be rotationally hosted across Africa, bringing together academics and practitioners with research interests across all specialty areas of actuarial science, risk management, and financial system regulation.  AFRIC had a strong focus on the research culture within Africa's actuarial community. Hence, key topical areas included climate extremes, longevity risk, pensions, and insurance regulations, among others, form part of the AFRIC agenda. AFRIC partnered with various universities across Africa and around the globe, actuarial societies, insurance regulators, and financial institutions. 

  • Co-hosted by CEPAR and the School of Risk & Actuarial Studies, UNSW Business School, the Colloquium is a unique annual event, bringing together academics (from economics, finance, actuarial studies and related disciplines), government and industry to discuss the latest research on pensions, superannuation and retirement. More information is available here: https://cepar.edu.au/news-events/events/30th-colloquium-pensions-and-retirement-research

  • Co-hosted by CEPAR and the School of Risk & Actuarial Studies, UNSW Business School, the Colloquium is a unique annual event, bringing together academics (from economics, finance, actuarial studies and related disciplines), government and industry to discuss the latest research on pensions, superannuation and retirement. More information is available here: https://cepar.edu.au/news-events/events/30th-colloquium-pensions-and-retirement-research

  • The 2022 “UNSW Workshop on Risk and Actuarial Frontiers” brings together distinguished visitors, academics, and research students to promote new academic developments in actuarial science and related fields and foster academic discussions among participants. This workshop featured prominent international guests and invited academic presentations delivering a unique package of cutting - edge research. Program here: 2022_UNSW Risk and Actuarial Industry Workshop_Program.pdf

  • The “UNSW Risk and Actuarial Industry Workshop” brought together industry experts and leading academics to discuss current and emerging topics in risk, actuarial science, and data analytics. The workshop developed existing and new partnerships between the UNSW School of Risk and Actuarial Studies and industry and explore opportunities for joint research and education initiatives. Program available here: 2021 UNSW Risk and Actuarial Industry Workshop_Program.pdf

  • Co-hosted by CEPAR and the School of Risk & Actuarial Studies, UNSW Business School, the Colloquium is a unique annual event, bringing together academics (from economics, finance, actuarial studies and related disciplines), government and industry to discuss the latest research on pensions, superannuation and retirement. The 2021 event had a conference teheme of : ‘Financing Retirement in the 2020s and Beyond'.More information is available here: https://cepar.edu.au/colloquium-2021

Research Seminars